This issue contains seven papers examining some of the unique opportunities and problems of longitudinal data, particularly as they relate to labor force behavior over the life cycle. Four papers, from a conference sponsored by the Social Science Research Council in October l977, review the NLS experience and suggest future directions.

Issues for Manpower Research on Youth in the Transition from School to Work
Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 118-125
Cohort(s):
NLSY79
Publisher:
Temple University PressKeyword(s):
Behavior; Data Quality/Consistency; High School Completion/Graduates; Life Cycle Research; Research Methodology; Sample Selection; Schooling; Transition, School to Work; Wisconsin Longitudinal Study/H.S. Panel Study (WLS); Work History

Unemployment and job search among youth are conceptualized as behavioral components of the transition into adulthood. Within this life-cycle perspective, recommendations are made for the design and content of empirical studies of the labor force activities of young persons, using the development of the NLS of Young Men as an illustration.

Bibliography Citation

Featherman, David L. "Issues for Manpower Research on Youth in the Transition from School to Work." Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 118-125.

Longitudinal research designs for the study of human development and social change customarily are equated with prospective panel follow-ups. These prospective studies are often costly, inefficient, and impractical, as illustrated by the history of several such investigations. By distinguishing between longitudinal data and longitudinal research design, this paper considers a variety of issues that can be investigated by students of human development and social change without investing in a longitudinal research design. One instance, based on the use of retrospective reports, is examined together with considerations of accurate measurement.

A new econometric approach is presented for the evaluation of information content within labor markets. Ignorance is defined as the difference between the wage (price) individuals earn (pay) with complete information and the wage (price) they actually receive (pay) given their limited information stocks. A frontier production function approach is employed to measure ignorance for various markets. Data were obtained from the NLS of Older Men and was limited to those subjects employed in 1971 and meeting other criteria, leaving a sample of 219 men. The empirical results are highly consistent with the analytic results of search theory. Specifically, labor market ignorance appears to be greater among blacks than whites, greater in rural than urban areas, and greater among those with more risk aversion, higher opportunity costs of search, and lower levels of education and job experience. In addition, union membership is found to drastically reduce labor market ignorance, suggesting a new interpretation of the role of unions.

Two possible causes for women's lower wages relative to those of men are examined: that women have less work experience and that they are employed mainly in stereotypically female occupations. The results indicate that both work experience and occupational segregation are critical determinants of women's wage position. Women earn significantly less in low-skill typically female occupations as compared to low-skill typically male occupations. However, women in high-skill typically female occupations do not earn less than their counterparts in typically male occupations.

This paper presents a joint analysis of the determinants of quits and layoffs. Specific attention is given to the importance of the wage structure as a determinant of labor turnover. Data are taken from the l966-69 installments of the NLS of Older Men aged 45 to 59 in l966. A worker-specific measure of wage differentials is constructed as the residual from a wage regression estimated with the l966 data; other variables hypothesized to determine turnover decisions are also defined. The l967 and l969 installments document subsequent turnover activity. Multinomial logit analysis is used to estimate the model.

An Agenda For Socioeconomic Life Cycle Research
Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 95-110
Cohort(s):
NLS General
Publisher:
Temple University PressKeyword(s):
Life Cycle Research; Longitudinal Surveys; NLS Description; Research Methodology; Socioeconomic Status (SES)

In October l977, the Social Science Research Council convened a conference on the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience to review research based on NLS data and to suggest promising future directions this study might take. A research agenda that emerged from this meeting is presented, and while not exhaustive, the agenda does identify a number of new or continuing research areas that are important for developing a better understanding of the socioeconomic life cycle. The agenda is organized into four broad topics: work-family relationships, labor force socialization, structural variables, and methodological issues.

Bibliography Citation

Peterson, James Lloyd. "An Agenda For Socioeconomic Life Cycle Research." Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 95-110.

Individual Histories as the Focus of Analysis in Longitudinal Surveys
Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 126-135
Cohort(s):
Young Men
Publisher:
Temple University PressKeyword(s):
Longitudinal Data Sets; Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID); Research Methodology

The recent availability of large longitudinal data bases has drawn attention to the problems of analyzing such data. These important data sets provide a framework not present in cross-sectional samples for focusing on individual or household histories. Because most longitudinal data bases contain informational gaps, this study seeks not only to outline a strategy for quantitative exploration of the gap-free sections of individual histories but also to illustrate a method for testing data containing gaps for compatibility with particular stochastic process models.

Bibliography Citation

Singer, Burton. "Individual Histories as the Focus of Analysis in Longitudinal Surveys." Journal of Economics and Business 32,2 (Winter 1980): 126-135.